Parent notes
Small ways to make waiting on outings easier
By Carrie 5 min read
Simple ideas for the queue or café table, with room to shorten an outing when waiting gets difficult.
The food is coming, the queue is moving, and your child wants to know why everything takes so long. A weekend outing in Malaysia can include plenty of waiting before anyone gets to the fun part.
You don't need to turn every delay into a lesson. A small plan can give everyone something manageable to do while the next thing happens.
Make the wait clear
Say what you know, without promising a time you can't control. At a kopitiam, that might mean explaining that the order has been placed and the kitchen is preparing it. Avoid saying "one minute" repeatedly when you have no idea.
If there is a clear next step, describe it. Waiting until the person ahead finishes paying is easier to explain than an open-ended "later". PBS KIDS for Parents recommends talking about what happens next and practising waiting in everyday situations.
Give the wait a next step, rather than another promise of "soon".
Bring one small option
A pocket notebook can be useful while food is being prepared. Your child could sketch something on the table or draw the plant beside the doorway. It doesn't have to look like anything in particular.
For a short queue, try an observation game from where you are standing: look for something round, then let your child choose the next thing to spot. Keep it quiet enough for the people around you. The activity can be small enough to stop easily.
Offer rather than insist. Some children would prefer to lean against a parent and watch the room. A waiting activity should not become another task they must finish before the meal arrives.
Leave room to change the plan
A difficult wait is information, not a label. Understood suggests noticing when impatience happens and recognising specific moments when children manage to wait.
After an outing, consider whether the hardest part was arriving before food was available, standing in a crowded space, or having nothing familiar to do. Next time, you might choose somewhere with a shorter queue or make the stop earlier. These are practical adjustments, not promises that every visit will go smoothly.
A shorter outing can still be a good outing.
Notice the bit that worked
Be specific: "You stayed beside me while we paid." That tells your child what you noticed, without comparing them with a sibling or another child.
If the wait becomes too much, taking a break or leaving can be the sensible choice. You can practise again on a smaller day. A quick stop with an easy exit may be more manageable than a long meal with several errands afterwards.
What small activity helps your family during an outing? Share a practical idea in the Boo & Bub community.
Sources and visual reference
PBS KIDS for Parents: practising waiting
Understood: understanding impatience
Visual reference: waiting activity (not reused)
